The Portland daily press., 1887-12-13
THE NATIONAL CAPITAL
How the Members Of the House
Regard the Tobacco Tax.
Senator Frye's Measures for the Re-
lief of American Shipping.
Nominations by the President In
Guiding some Maine men.

WASHINGTON, Dec .llz.T-A careful canvass
has been made of the members Of the House
ON the question of:abolishing the internal tax
ON tobacco. and 1t is found that 165 members
favor Internationally the repeal, 65 favor re-
peal with some other reduction, AS are non
committal and only 80 are opposed. Those
who favor the abolition are divided between
the two parties. 1t is regarded as settled
that the tax of thirty millions on tobacco
will be abolished as soon as the House can
reach it. As large majority of the Senate
favor it. it is thought that bill to abolish
the tobacco tax would pass by nearly two
thirds vote. The difficulty will be to get the
bill before the House,I as Speaker Carlisle
who will endeayor t0. prevent bill from
reaching the House without having tariff
bill linked to it.
To Strengthen the Marine.
Among the bills introduced by Senator
Frye, and referred to the committee on COM
merce, were several relating to American
shipping interests One, ''a bill for the en-
couragement of the American Merchant
Marine, ard to promotepostal and CONNER
cial relations with foreign countries" pro-
yides that ior transferring the mails of the
United States between any port of the Uni
ted States and any foreign port, or between
Atlantic ports and ports in the Pacific,
touching at any foreign port, there may be
allowed a sum not exceeding fifty cents
mile, on the trip each way, of actual nautical
miles travelled between terminal points for
each trip actually made; but such service
shall be performed only under control en-
tered into by the Postmaster General, after
legal advertisement, with the llowest respon-
sible bidder"
The bill further provides that the aggregate
amount to be expended for such service shall
not exceed the gross revenues of the Post
Office Department of the United States in
mail matter sent to and received from foreign
countries during the fiscal year next preced
ing the year in which such contracts are
made, less the amount paid for transp0rta-
tion in foreign vessels, and the net amount
paid foreign administrations for interme-
diary, territorial and sea transit of such
malls The ships with which such contracts
shall be made shall be ships Of American
registry only, and in case OF war they shall
be subject to purchase or charter by the Uni
ted States at reasonable rates.
AS shown by the receipts of the Post Office
Department for the last two or three fiscal
years, there would be available for the as
sistance of American vessels under the pro-
visions Of this bill. some thirteen hundred
thousand dollars.
Mr.. Frye, also introduced bill providing
for the payment, to any vessel, whether sail
or steam, built and owned wholly in the
United States, engaged in the foreign trade,
the sum of thirty cents per registered ton for
each 1Co0 miles sailed, and pro rata for any
distance sailed less than 1c0o miles, or any
voyage between this and foreign countries.
ra VQccplfe
arrival at port of entry in the United States,
in accordance with such regulations as may
be established by the Secretary of the Treas
ury. and shall continue for ten years, and
thereafter for term OF nine years at re-
duction of three cents ton each year upon
each 1Cc0 miles sailed. These bills will be
considered early by the committee, and will
pas the Senate. The end sought to be
gained by them is the establishment of
American steamship lines running more. es
pecially to the South American Republics,
and the building up of trade with their ports.
Similar bills will be presented in the
House by Mr.. Dingley after the House COM
mittees are announced, and Will be referred
to the committee on shipping interests of
which he will be member.
The Democratic Caucus.
Half an hour after the adjournment of the
Republican caucus, the Democratic repre-
sentatiyes met to choose a majority of the
election committee. Representative Holman
moved that Representative .Turner of Geor-
gia, chairman during the last Congress, be
again appointed. Mr.. Turner declined
through Holman's motion was unanimously
adopted. Representative Crisp of Georgia,
also declined, but the committee insisted on
Crisp's acceptance, and the chairman re-
ported his name to the caucus with the fol-
lowing: Messrs. Outhwaite of Ohio, Berry
of Mississippi, Oferrall of Virginia, Manish
of Pennsylvania, O'Neill of Indiana, Moore
of Texas. johnson of North Carolina, Heard
of Missouri. The caucus accepted the re-
port
Nominations by the President.
The President has sentth following nomi-
nations to the Senate:
To be envoy extraordinary and minister pleni-
potentiary ef the United States-0scar s. Strauss
of New York, to Turkey; Alexander X. Lawton
of Georgia, TO Austria and Hungary; BayleSs W.
Hanna, TO Argentine Republic.
To be minister resident and consul general OF
the United States-S. S. Carlisle, Of louisiana to
Bolivia.
To be consul general of the United States.-Ja-
cob Lawrence Rathbon Of California, at Paris /;
Charlton ii. Way of Georgia. at ST. Petersburg;
ID. Lynch Pringle of South Carolina, at CONSTANT
neple; Harold M. Sewall Of Maine, at Apia